AN: Thanks for all the reviews! The story is far from done, so keep R&Ring please; it's appreciated, and keeps me writing even when I don't want to anymore. I know that sounds cheesy, but whatever, I'm not in the mood to care. XD
Tonight it felt to Hermione as if the darkness was heavier then it normally was in the sky. It weighed on her conscience, and she didn't like it. It made her fidget and want to know what was going on back at Harry's house. She had Teddy with her and was at her flat packing her things to take over to Harry's house. Her absence was nothing of coincidence. It was the time Ginny happened to be getting home. She'd left on purpose to get her things packed for Harry's… and so that Harry could break up with Ginny. She tried her hardest not to think about it, but it was difficult.
Ginny walked through the front door of Harry's house and hung up her jacket in the closet. She noticed Hermione's jacket was no longer there and she had a small hope that maybe she'd left, no matter how horrible she felt for thinking these thoughts; she just wanted it to be Harry and Ginny again. Harry had seemed different when Hermione showed up, and it worried her immensely.
"Harry! I'm home!" She called out as she took her shoes off and left them by the front door, then sighed in relief as she let her hair fall out of its pinned position in a bun.
"I'm in the living room." A soft and low voice called out.
Ginny walked to the living room, and smiled softly when she saw Harry sitting on the couch. She joined him on the leather sofa, curling up next to him, kissing his cheek.
"How was your day?" Ginny asked.
"Fine." Harry lied.
"How was yours?"
"Good, work is busy, but that's good for me. Means more money." She said with a shrug.
Ginny looked over at Harry when he didn't respond after her last comment. He looked stressed, but his face showed no emotion, Ginny could just tell in his body language; the way he sat. He didn't fully relax into the couch's back rest.
She reached a hand up and put it on his opposite cheek, and turned it so he had to look at her. No flicker of emotion came across his face as he looked at her. As if this somehow screamed "snog me" to Ginny, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Harry felt it lacked a little luster on his side, but he didn't care. He didn't care for her anymore.
He reached a hand up and replaced his lips with a finger to stop her from kissing him anymore.
"We need to talk." He said quietly.
Ginny moved away from him and let out a groan, as if she was a teenager and her mother was about to give her the birds and the bees talk.
Harry immediately took offense to that.
"Let's be mature about this, okay?" He said, not really giving her a choice as he looked over at her squarely.
"Yeah…" She mumbled, looking away from him and crossing her arms.
Harry let out an exasperated growl and stood up from the couch and looked down to her, glaring.
"You always do this. Acting as if talking about our issues is some petty little thing only I seem to care about!" He yelled down to her.
Great timing is something Hermione had a knack for. She carried her trunk in her right hand, and balanced a sleeping Teddy in her left arm and on her hip. Harry hadn't heard the sound of the door open because right when Hermione opened the door she'd heard Harry's angered voice echoing through the house. It made her shiver. She bit her bottom lip as she quickly made for the stairs, trying not to wake Teddy. She hurried him up to her room and laid Teddy in bed. He didn't stir one bit. She tucked him in and sighed as she looked at him for a moment, then left. She walked out into the hallway, which, if one looked straight down the stairs, had a partial view into the living room… and the uproar that was now breaking out.
Ginny looked up at him, completely taken aback, although Hermione might argue that it had been in a mocking gesture as Ginny put a hand to her chest as if to say, "Who, me?"
"That's not fair, Harry! You know full well you're the one who's always jumping on me every night. You don't want to talk either…" She yelled back, standing up. She'd accused him as well, but had not defended herself from his own accusations. Ginny knew she was guilty of her crime.
Harry took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes; his own were cold and distant.
"Ginny, I think it's only fair for you to know why Hermione is really here. Remus and Tonks had a son before they died, and now Hermione is given care of him, and she needs my help. Ron bailed on her, that's why they broke up, and she needs me, and I think that's the least I can give her after being out of her life all these years."
Ginny looked slightly shocked, and she did something Harry didn't expect. She laughed, as if Harry was telling a joke.
"Wait, so you're going to help Hermione take care of a kid?" She asked, putting a slightly more darkened meaning on the word 'kid'.
"Yes."
"How… how the hell are you going to do that?" She asked, her expression turning from amused to angry to confused and back again.
Harry glared at her, his fists clenched.
"I intend to be a good father to that boy. I'm his godfather more then anything, but I want to give him a chance at a life I never had."
"You seem to have turned out fine. Does Hermione even know about that time you came home drunk, and I had to put you to bed like a little child? Did you tell her that, huh?"
"Get out."
Ginny gaped. How had their conversation turned to him kicking her out?
"Ginny, it's over. You can't seem to understand Hermione's situation, and if you're not going to be any ounce of help, I want you out. Our relationship wasn't working out anyways. It's time we broke this off." He said sternly, his gaze flickering from the floor up the her.
A million things happened at once: Hermione and Ginny both got lumps in their throats and tears welled up in their eyes. Hermione's knees buckled as she leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor, where she could no longer see anything, but hear everything. Ginny took a step back and let out a single, heart broken sob.
"I'm sorry, Harry… please. I want to make this work… us work. I still love you, I need you. Don't do this Harry, we can talk. I'm willing to talk it all out right now!" She said her last sentence a little franticly.
"I… I love you…" Ginny added in a whisper as she looked at Harry with tears coming down her cheeks.
Hermione closed her eyes and laid her head on her knees, putting her arms around her legs to complete a fetal position, though she still managed to stay vertical, and not curl up on the floor. Harry wasn't the one breaking up with her, so why was she loosing it?
"I'm sorry. I just… I don't return the same feelings." Harry said a little gruffly, his eyes averted from Ginny.
Ginny let out a few sobs, and put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. Harry took a step forward, his hand twitched in her direction to comfort her, but he wanted to make his statement clear, so he stayed put. He did feel bad, that was definite, but this needed to end.
Ginny looked back up at Harry after a moment. She opened her mouth to say something, but as soon as it was open it was closed again and Ginny was gone.
Upstairs Hermione winced as the door slammed behind Ginny, and she looked up, doing a fairly decent job at keeping her sobs quiet. She was glad it was over, but she felt horrible, like she was the one breaking up with Ginny. This was her fault. She'd set this into motion, and no matter how much Harry told her over and over again he wanted to, she still held that remorse in her heart. She did side with Ginny on the fact that Harry didn't have to be so harsh about his letting her go. He hadn't let the words come out… gently.
Hermione heard footsteps, slow and heavy, thudding up the stairs. She gasped quickly and stood up and went into the bathroom nearest her, but she didn't see the point. Harry knew. He threw open the bathroom door and grabbed Hermione in his arms and hugged her tightly, which she then proceeded to sob non stop for two minutes while Harry just stood in the bathroom hugging her, and rubbing her back every once in a while.
Some would say this could be a very romantic scene, and a break through in Harry and Hermione's relationship. Now both were free from feeling guilty about being together in his house. Harry was free of his relationship that tied him down. Others would say this was just plain awkward. "We're in a bathroom for Merlin's sake" Hermione thought as she tried to pull herself together. She pulled herself away from Harry's chest, loosening his arms.
"Hermione, please don't cry over this. I'm here to help you. And if I said take it or leave it… well, I'm not even giving you the choice. This was my choice, not yours. Just believe me when I say I'm already happier now." He explained, trying to put on a smile for her.
Hermione thought about his words, and her conclusion was a stern glare up to him. She wriggled out of his arms and leaned against the bathroom counter.
"You're a right prat you know?" She said, a little more coldly then she'd meant to.
"Oh yeah? And how's that?"
"Well you didn't have to break it to her so harshly! Do you know what a break up does to a girl?" She asked him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes. It makes her cry at night, and lose all confidence in herself to even ask an old friend for help…" He took a step closer to her. "It causes her heart to crumble and the rubble is reflected in her eyes along with the shadow of a pain that emanates in every moment… of every day…" His voice faded into a whisper.
Hermione looked up at him from gazing at the tile on the floor. Her eyes were a little wider then normal.
"Do I really look that bad?"
"No. You look amazing."
Before Hermione knew it Harry's lips crashed against hers along with his body, pressing her against the sink counter. At first Hermione welcomed the feeling, closing her eyes, her hands behind her on the counter, holding herself up. As soon as she felt Harry's hands reach up to tangle in her hair, her own arms went up and she placed them both firmly on his chest and pushed him away.
"W-what? I-I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't…" He was lost for words as he stared at this girl in front of him, her expression like Ginny's, but how could it be? He'd just done the very opposite thing, but that was why Hermione was now angry.
"Are you drunk?!" She asked him, shouting the words as she threw her arms into the air in exasperation and walked around him.
"No! What? Why would you say that?" He asked, startled.
"Wel,l Ginny did mention something you failed to."
"That was one time! Hermione, I'm not drunk! I just… you-you looked…" He said, his voice turning soft again, as if he had admiration for Hermione.
"I looked what? Vulnerable? Like a heart broken girl who needed a good snog to make her feel better?" She asked defensively.
Harry shook his head vigorously and grabbed Hermione's wrist as she tried to walk off and back to her room.
"No. You looked beautiful." He said softly, his tone was so definitive it took Hermione by storm.
She stopped trying to walk away from him, and sighed.
"Harry, you just broke up with Ginny. I feel like it's my fault, and I'm still getting over Ron. Don't put me in that position…" She said quietly, pleading.
Harry let go of her wrist in response to her words. He felt rejected.
"Trust me. Everybody's feelings are crazy right now. I'm sure you'll regret what you did in the morning, and I won't judge you for it." She said with a small, teasing smile.
Harry sighed. Now he could either say it wasn't a crazy feeling to go out on a whim and kiss her and that he really did have feelings for her that he wanted to share with her, or he could agree with her and keep himself in check for the rest of her time here; back pedal and say it was a spur of the moment thing. One thing he knew for sure. He'd never regret it. Nobody in their right mind would ever regret something that felt so good… so right.
"I'm sorry. Forget it ever happened." He concluded.
Hermione smiled, a little apologetically.
"Consider it forgotten."